Gordon Brown today said the House of Commons needed to demonstrate that it could debate major issues facing the country in a "sensible and reasoned" way.

The prime minister called for party politics to be put to one side in order to enhance parliament's consideration of important national matters.

But he admitted shortcomings in the weekly prime minister's questions, and said there would always be some "banter and knockabout" in the chamber.

The new Commons Speaker, John Bercow, has criticised the "Punch and Judy show" of question time and made attempts to cut down noise and improve the level of debate.

Speaking to senior MPs on the Commons liaison committee, Brown said: "I would like to see the House of Commons distinguish itself by being able to deal with, often in a non-party political way, some of the big issues of our time.

"The prime minister's question time has not, in all the time I've been in the Commons, been the vehicle for that to happen.

"I think the sadness of our House of Commons is there are very big issues our country faces – whether it's Afghanistan or whether it's issues ... that are moral issues people are worried about – and we don't seem to be able to find the vehicles by which these issues can be debated in a way that commends itself to the country."

He said that whether it was PMQs or other forums, the house had "at some point to show ... we can seriously debate in a sensible and reasoned way all the big issues that affect the country".

Challenged about his own party political point-scoring with rival party leaders in the Commons, Brown admitted: "There's always going to be banter and knockabout in a place like the House of Commons.

"But I think the sadness is that we have not been able ... to show that the House of Commons is the most effective place to debate the big issues."